Posted by “Judy Garland was the best subject in Hollywood.” – Hypnotist Ormond McGill
July 6, 1938: Judy was at the MGM portrait studios, posing for these publicity photos. She returned to the studios a few days later with the cast of Listen, Darling for more publicity photos.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Listen, Darling here.
July 6, 1939: Babes in Arms filming continued with scenes on the “Exterior Barn Theatre” (the “Minstrel” number) and the “Interior Backstage” sets. Judy had a 9 a.m. call.
Per the assistant director’s notes: 10:30-11:12 – wait for Judy – putting on ‘Hi Yeller’ makeup which was difficult to get to right shade. Also putting on body makeup and “Hi Yeller” costume – Note: Cameraman found that Judy’s face makeup was not dark enough makeup and had to be done over in a darker shade.” 11:12-11:24 a.m.: rehearsal for Judy and Mickey in dance; lunch: 12:18-1:18 p.m.; time dismissed: 4:30 p.m.
Photo: Judy on the set with her musical mentor Roger Edens.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Babes in Arms here.
July 6, 1940: Andy Hardy Meets Debutante was in theaters and getting good reviews as one of the better installments of the series. It helped that Judy was on hand to sing “Alone” and what became another Garland classic, “I’m Nobody’s Baby.”
July 6, 1941: “Judy Garland Takes Suddenly To Hats” – this fun article notes how Judy had suddenly become hat-conscious. No photos accompanied the article, so I’ve included some random photos of Judy wearing hats.
It took a trip to New York to make Judy Garland hat-conscious. The young star, appearing in the new Hardy picture, always went bare-headed whether in slacks or afternoon dress and thought her hats a bother, only wearing one when mother said “must.”
But since Judy’s recent New York vacation she is never seen without a smart chapeau. Her favorite, of pink rough straw, features a high crown with narrow brim slightly turned up at each side. A cluster of flowers accent the front, and there is a misty veil of light brown dotted with pink. She wears this hat with a brown bengaline coat featuring appliqued cording down the front. Her dress is in soft pink suede cloth and her bag and gloves of matching pink.
July 6, 1944: Judy went into rehearsals for her next film, her guest appearance in the all-star Ziegfeld Follies. Judy provided a wonderful satire on a glamorous movie queen in the number titled “The Interview,” a.k.a. “A Great Lady Gives An Interview,” a.k.a. “Madame Crematante.” Rehearsals took place in MGM’s Rehearsal Hall B, with Charles Walters in charge as the dance director.
Judy had an 11:30 a.m. call; dismissed at 4:30 p.m. The assistant director’s notes state that in addition to the rehearsals, “Miss Garland also fitted wardrobe for still pictures.”
Photo: Publicity portrait of Judy in her “Madame Crematante” costume.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Ziegfeld Follies of 1946 here.
July 6, 1945: In the Curio Department: Erksine Johnson’s column about hypnotist Ormond McGill included the story of Judy becoming hypnotized while sitting in the audience at the Trocadero nightclub, watching him hypnotize someone on stage. Judy went right to sleep! On the day this was published Judy and her new husband Vincente Minnelli were on their honeymoon in New York City.
Photo: Undated pic of Judy and Vincente taken around this time, possibly while they were in New York.
July 6, 1946: The christening of Judy and Vincente Minnelli’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, made the news. The christening took place the day before with Liza being christened by Reverend J. Herbert Smith while the proud parents, Godmother Kay Thompson and her husband Bill Spier, Judy’s sister Virginia Thompson, and others looked on.
Afterward, photos were taken of Judy and Vincente with Liza, which were used in various news stories.
July 6, 1948: The last day of a rare five days off for Judy from her work on both The Barkleys of Broadway and Words and Music.
Photo: Snapshot of Judy on the town in 1948.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on The Barkleys of Broadway here.
Check out The Judy Room’s Filmography Page on Words and Music here.
July 6, 1954: More filming on the “Swanee” number for the “Born In A Trunk” sequence in A Star Is Born. Time started: 11:10 a.m.; finished: 5:45 p.m.
Check out The Judy Room’s Spotlight on A Star Is Born here.
July 6, 1955: The Long Beach Independent newspaper continued its daily notices of what big celebrity was attending Judy’s upcoming engagement at the Municipal Auditorium set for July 11th. Meanwhile, the photos below were taken on this date and feature Judy during rehearsals for the upcoming show.
Check out The Judy Room’s “Judy Garland – The Concert Years” here.
July 6, 1963: Dress rehearsal for “The Judy Garland Show,” “Episode Two,” at CBS Television City in Hollywood, CA. The dress rehearsal was held before a studio audience on Stage #43, which is where all of Judy’s shows in the series were taped. The rehearsal went from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
This was the first of the dress rehearsals of the series to be videotaped. Going forward, all dress rehearsals were taped, with the “best” of the two performances (the dress rehearsal or the final taping) of any given number or routine then chosen to air as part of the final episode.
On this night, the entire “Born in a Trunk” segment was chosen to air with the rest of the program on November 10, 1963. This included Judy’s wonderful performance of “A Cottage for Sale” and “Hey, Look Me Over.”
Included here are photos from some of the surviving contact sheets. They’re small, but still fun to look at. 🙂
